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Monday, February 04, 2013

An Introduction to R. H. Ragona's Circus of Magic by Laura Lam

Today, I have an amazing guest post from Laura Lam, the author of the absolutely fantastic Pantomime, the story that has taken a firm hold over my heart over the past few months. I read this book awhile back and it is a story filled with such wonderfully created characters that I have been unable to stop thinking about it for months.

One of my favourite aspects of Pantomime is of course, the circus! And Laura is here today to give a brief introduction to some of the main cast of circus performers and acts. I really hope you enjoy!

And if you'd like to know more about Laura Lam or Pantomime, please do visit the following websites:

Pantomime is set in what claims to be the most magical circus in all of Ellada. It includes an oddball cast of characters and acts.

Management:

R.H. Ragona, the Ringmaster. His real name is Bil, but it doesn’t have the same ring to it as R.H. He’s the head honcho of the circus, and he’s built it up from nothing. He’s a man that can change from jovial to sinister in a moment, so people try not to get on the wrong side of him.

Frit, the administration. She’s Bil’s wife, and balances the books and keeps the place running behind the scenes.

Performers:

Micah Grey, the aerialist’s apprentice. The newest member of the circus. He has to prove himself, and that includes doing the less savoury tasks of the circus in addition to his training. He stands out at first— no one believes he’s actually been on the streets for very long.

Aenea, an aerialist. She trains Micah, as well as performing the finale –the tightrope and the trapeze.

Arik, an aerialist. The other person who trains Micah. He’s getting a little older and is hoping to retire from the circus soon, with Micah as his replacement.

The tumblers. There’s a group of tumblers from Kymri, and they open the circus every night.

The clowns. They provide the comic relief in between circus acts. Some of them are nasty pieces of work, such as Jive, the red clown.

Drystan, the white clown. The leader of the clowns is one of the few clowns to be kind to Micah, although he’s very curious in where he might have come from.

Karla & Tym, the animal keepers. Karla performs as an equestrienne, but together, this husband and wife team look after all of the animals of the circus.

Nina, the snakecharmer. Mesmerizes the audience in one of the smaller tents.

The Workers:

They tend to keep to themselves, finding the performers to be too full of airs. The workers include men like Rag & Dirik.

The Freakshow:

One of the side attractions is the freakshow tent, attached to the menagerie, which has an albino alligator, large cats, and horses. Some of the “freaks” on display are:

Bethany, the bearded woman.

Madame Limond, the four-legged woman.

Karg, the strongman.

Mr. Tin, the small man.

The Tattooed Man.

Poussin, the Human Chicken.

Juliet, the Leopard Lady of Linde.

All of these characters may seem like oddballs at first. Some of them might come across as cruel, especially to Micah, because they’re wary of strangers. They live in this isolated society that lets in the city folk, the rubes, to entertain them, but they never really interact with them. The circus is a community of close-knit people, and they must remain so for the circus to work. They trust their health, their safety, and their very lives to each other.

I’ll leave you with the barker’s cry of R.H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic:

“Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Currs and skags! Step into the world as you’ve never seen it! Discover the skills, the mystery, and the magic of R.H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic, the Best Circus in Ellada! There are the fabled felines of Linde and their fearless trainers! Men and women eat fire, stand upon a galloping horse, and contort into knots like rubber! Watch them fly through the air! This is the show you have always been waiting for, so step right up!”

– Barker’s cry of R.H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic

Doesn't it sound magical? Which character is your favourite or which character are you most looking forward to meeting?

Me Me Me

I've been running my book blog, Fluttering Butterflies, for the past (nearly) 9 years and have recently taken up booktubing on my own channel, cloveryness, as well as collaboratively with the Bookish Brits.